The times and democrat. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, November 04, 1911, Image 1

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PUBLISHED TRt-WEEKL1 BETTMHSS Fi? to Obtain ftea ?w*iti bj Di Wade Stttitaose *A DiSaa TO BUILD WAREHOUSES Fanners Would be Asked to Store at Least One Fourth of Their Cotton 1b These Warehouses an'l Hold It Until a Suitable Price Could be Had. Tbe following' if. the plan, for hold ing, cotton, pro$os$d by Dr. Wade Steck ho use at Dji'lon, that caused so Tcuob discussion at the meeting of the Farmers' union in Columbia Thursday night: lev "There is no ,.shame gr^tejr than defeat: There is no joy Ijke .victory. The Southern cotton grower, today iB covered with the shaimD ,pl defeat Like tbe union army at Bull Run hp is in full retreat; panc-stric?en he has turned his back to the bears and is hustling to dispose if this crop under the cost of its production. "Can we do nothing to stop this panic of our brother farmers, which not only threatens this crop, but points to a few years of depression which means a lower level of livng to every man, woman and child in tbe Sourb. "The time to prepare for war is before it begins. We have lost the best time to prepare lor this emer gercy, but I suggest the following plan: "Build warehouses in each South ern State capable of holding one fourth of the largest prop we are likely to produce. My argument ap plies to South Carolina, but should be duplicated in each cotton State, and then combine all tbe cotton ware house cimpanes into a whole. "The fanmers should put up the capital stock to erect the warehous es, which should be large storage f houses and built at points where sub stitution, and reshipping prwilege can be secured. This would imply that warehouses would ce built on ly in towns having more than. one. railroad, or having w&ter rates and where ample fire protection can be provided?the small warehouse can never pay. Perpetual motion is no more impossible in physics than iB the continued exercise of good business sense in the conduct of warehouses and in organizing a holding move ment of cotton farmers. The warehouseman must be a man of character. He must be a fair book keeper. He must be a s'voirn weigher, capable of adjusting equitably differ ences as to moisture, damage, etc., on cotton. He should take the notes of farmers wishing to secure loans on cotton and forward the notes with warehouse receipts to tie State trust company organized to handle these receipts. Such men can be found to day buying cotton for the leading exporters. They are a set of capable men having good, hard, business sense. It will take around 81,200 per year to employ such men. Then the warehouse must keep a night watch man the year around. It must be built according to certs.in plans and specifications and must be equipped with automatic sprinklers anl have two sources of water supply. This water supply must be absolutely suf ficent to satisfy the most skeptical insurance inspector. Having all these requisites it is astonishing how small the insurance cost. It can be reduced to 12 cents on $100 valuation for 12 months. The small warehouse can't afford all this. "Our normal crop in South Caro lina is around 1,200,000 bales. One fourth of this, 300,000 bales, would need "o be warehoused under my pinn. i would suggest organizing a South Carolina Cotton Warehouse company, with a capital stock of $1, 000,000, divided into shares of $50 eajch and that the farmers be asked to subscribe for most of this stock. | That, say 15 warehouses be built at central points in the State, capable of storing the 300,000 bales. That a trust company be organizer to con duct the loans on cotton, and this trust /company be located in Colum, bia, S. C, and its acts to bind the $1,000,000 capital stock of all the warehouses. "We would need a high class bank er to manage the trust company at Columbia. He could find In what money centres he conld place his warehouse receipts and borrow the money. With a million dollar asset to back him he could sell his ware house notes in most of the money centre* of the country. "This plan is not origina?, but is today employed by warehouses of this city, I would suggest that we let alone all the existing warehouses in the State now being conducted as private enterprises. There is ample field for all the warehousing com panies now in operation and. the sys tem I recommend. "The State warehousing companies should take in all friends of cotton in the South. They could cooperate with tbe Farmers' Union and all other organizations having for their object better selling of the cotton crop. The exclusive business of the warehouse companies would be to better handle the cotton crop. "Having the warehouses we would ask cotton farmers to store at least one-fourth of crop and sign a con tract that if he sold before August MATS CAME SLOWLY FORTUWE AND CREEPING DEATH WERE CREEPING. A Miner Pinned in a Sha2 by a More of Rock and Lived Thirteen Days. An old assay certificate, found on the body of j. j. D. Miller, -who died in the shaft of his mining; claim, 12 milesnorth of Bridgeport, Cal., told two stories when it was deciphered in the coroner's office there on Wed nesday. One slide told of gold in Mil ler's shaft.. The other bore the pen ciled record of the man's seven days imprisonment, ended by death at noon Friday, October 13. The body was found last Satur day with the. left leg pinned against the side of. the 15-foot shaft by a mass of ,rcck..j Miller stood upright with his head thrown back. The shaft 1b slightly inclined and he must have seen, the sun, which stood on the meridian, as he wrote the last line of his diary. "Friday, noon?the thirteenth day no hope." The certificate was rolled and had been replaced -in his pocket book. The daily record follows: "October 6?Frank Yparraguierre, Sweetwater: If helps does not come, send this message to M. C. Miller, wife, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and wire what to do with the body. J. J. D. Miller." "This occurred Friday morning, October 6. It is now Saturday noon. :'No help yet. Why did this come " . "Sunday night?It is cold and long. God help me. I forgive moth er. "Monday?It is noon. Why did Dick forget? A drink of cold water would taste good. Am getting very weak." "Tuesday night?The end is near. Don't see how Dick can forget me." "Wednesday night?Guess tonight will be last; no hope; the end near." Thursday's record is illegible. "Friday noon?The thirteenth; no hope." The "Dick" referred to is Richaru Barnes,' a teamster on the Yparra guierre ranch, where the two men had been employed together. The body wa? found by Barnes. Miller came to California a year ago from Virginia An unsuccessful attempt wai made by the authorities to commun icate with his widow in Harrison burg today. lfith, the following year, he would forfeit the difference between the selling price and the minimum price fixed. I suggest for th's crop we fix 12 cents per pound for minumum price, and should cotton reach that price before August 15, eacn holder Of cotton is at perfect liberty to sell. Before cotton could sell at 12 cents next August the world must have convincing proof that we are going to make a smaller crop. To convince the public we must prove by the gov ernment institute that we have small er acreage and have used less ferti lizer. "Tc get a few farmers to meet at each county court house an.l resolve to cut the acreage and fertilizer hill is not going to be convincing proof to cotton spinners. To think such resolutions will be lived up to is as vain as the dream of a dreamer who dreamed he had dreamed some thing. "I have talked to two or three good attorneys as to the validity of a contract a farmer might make with the warehouse company to hold his cotton. They think such contract can be drawn so as to be legal. The acreage proposition would have to be worked the same way. If Mr. A planted 100 acres in cotton in 1911 and, contracts with a warehouseing company that he will plant only 75 acres in 1912 and provides that in case he breaks his contract that all cotton produced on land over and abuve the 75 acres shall go to the warehouse company. I think such [contract could be made valid. If some strong bank could act as trustee for us in 1912 and they would say they had contracts in their vaults providing for a 25 per cent, reduc tion in South Carolina that would [carry weight. ' "In conclusion we can rally the panic-stricken farmers of today and win a partial victory for 1912. We can organize so that the present ca lamity may not happen in the future. "First, build warehouses to store fully 3,500,000 bales of cotton in the South, to be owned largely by cotton farmers. "Second, get legal contracts exe cuted and properly signed to hold over any surplus. "Third, get legal contracts signed to reduce acreage the following year. "Fourth, prech in season and out of season." Twenty-Four Drowned. The French steamer Diolibah sank at sea Wednesday and twenty-four persons were drowned. The Diolibah was towing the French steamer Li bera for Marseilles when the latter fouled her, tearing a hole in the Diolibah's side, causing her to found er. More Trouble in Mexico. At Torreon, Mex., six federals and one Maderista, were killed and fif teen federals wounded in a street fight. The trouble arose over the at tempt of four Maderista officers to disarm the Gendarme. ORANGEBUR( SHOT IM DEAD Edgar 3 Farrar, Proniorai New (Meats Attorney, Killed by Tbags. HAD ROBBED HIS HOME SHOT HIM DEAD. When They Were Accosted on the Street They Fulled Out Pistols and Shot Farrar Down in the Street? They Were Run Down, Caught and Confessed. At New Orleans, La., Edgar H. Farrar, Jr., son of the former presi dent of the American Bar Associar : tion, was shot and killed at 10 o'clock Wednesday at the corner of PeniBton and Magnolia streets, by two- high waymen. Mr. Farrar was on his way to his office in the Hibernia Bank building when he, was told by a neighbor that two men standing on a corner op posite were probably a pair who had broken into the Farrar home the day before. Mr. Farrar started in pursuit of the men, who drew a revolver and who shot him. He fell in the streets dead. The two men started to run and vere pursued by a crowd of citizens. Special details of police and mount ed officers were rushed to the scene and joined in the chase. Young Farrar was a graduate 01 the University of Virginia. He was admitted to the New Orleans bar a decade or more ago and had prac ticed his profession in this city con tinuously ever since, with the excep tion of a year or two spent in Okla homa. He was popular In social af fairs, and had an extensive acquain tance throughout Tennessee, Ala bama and other sections of the South. Less than two hours after the shoting Mr. Farrar's assailants had been captured and had made a con fession to the police. They are Leon Cantom alias J. C. Helms, and Luc ien Canton, brothers, who live in New Orleans, aged 23 and 21, re spectively. Theopolus Rodgers, a tall, black negro, proved himself a hero in the capture of the Canton brothers. He "gave chase immediately following the shooting. His legs made it im possible for the fleeing men to out distance him, and soon he had Lu cien Canton, the younger, in his clutches and held him until the po lice arrived. Rodgers gave directions to the officers as to the direction tak en by Leon Canton, the one who did the shooting, and he, too, was soon captured. The prisoners were at once taken to the office of District Attorney Adams and the police say both con fessed to their participation in the crime and then admitted, under ex amination, that they had robbed the Farrar home the day before. Officers visited the home of the Canton bro thers and brought to. the police sta tion all of the articles which had been stolen from the Farrar home. Edgar H. Farrar Jr., was 32 year's of age, and was married about five months ago. He lived only a few blocks from where he was shot down in the 6treet. Mr. Farrar was a member of the law firm of which his father is the senior member, and was one of the brightest young members of the Louisiana bar. HiB father went to the scene of the shooting and had the body re moved to his home. NINETY-NINE FIGHTING SHIPS. Seventy-five Battleships Sewing At Anchor at New York. Ninety-nine fighting ships, groom ed for the first formal event of the greatest mobilization in the United States' naval history, swung at an chor off New York in the Hudson river Wednesday morning in a gray line seven miles long. Only the tor pedo Darney Timney and the Craven we. missing from the list of 102 vessels ordered to the mobilization. The fleet included every battleship now in commission in the United States navy, 75 in all, evr -y one in fighting trim. Early risers, who stood on the western .edge if Manhattan along Riverside drive, and those a cros3 the river in New Jersey, who gazed from the preciptlous cliffs of the" lower palissades, saw ship after ship take form a3 the mir.t lifted. Iben, at 8 o'clock, the signal flash ed on the Connecticut and every craft in the line burst into rainbow col ors from stem to stern. Four Killed By Train. W'hile crossing the Louisville & Nashville railroad at Huston's Cross ing, in Bourbon county, Friday after noon, Miss Lena Hughes, her sister, Mrs. Barton Harp, and two children, Ruth and William aged 3 years and 5 months, respectively, were struck by a fast train and instantly killed. Ran a Huge Blind Tiger. J. O. Ross, the negro president of the Atlanta State Savings Bank has been arrested on the charge that he ran a big blind tiger, for the benefit of his depopitors, in connection with the bank, and that the list of his depositors has increased marvellous ly lately for that .cause. 1, S. C, SATURDAY, NOVE& AUBDG9N S9CIEH HOLD ANNUAL MEETING IN CO LUMBIA ON WEDNESDAY. Matters of Importance Discussed by the Members?James Henry Rice Re-elected Secretary. The annual meeting of the Audu bon Society of South Carolina was held in the Loan and Exchange baak building Wednesday. There were 300 members represented. M. 0. Dantzler, -the president of the so ciety, was unavoidably detained on account of the serious illness of hie brother. O. M. Dantzler, sheriff of Calhoun county. Moreover, President Dantzler hav ing served two full years, now re tires from the presidency. The so ciety saw him go with regret, and passed suitable resolutions, testify ing to the value of the moral and active support he has given the cause of bird protection during his incumbency. His successor has been named, but will not be announced until he is officially notified and has accepted. The society feela that its moral position is stronger than ever, al though no gain in membership has ever been secured on account of the lack of active field work. The matter of extending the so ciety's usefulness by increasing membership and changing the mode of securing members was taken un der advisement and a plan adopted which will be published in full lat er. This in the main looks to secur ing a permanent endownment, so that the society may become inde pendent of small annual dues. One of the main duties devolving on the society by law is the sugges tion of suitable legislation. The so ciety reafirmed its belief in the res ident hunters' license as the only practical means of enforcing bird and game protection, and will ask the general assembly to reconsider its action and pass such a license. Recent events have strengthened the society's determination to se cure for the farmers of the State the protection for their crops and lands, to which they have always been entitled, and which they have never reecived from the general as sembly. For the present there has been no change in the officers, outside of the president. James Henry Rice was re elected secretary. The treasurer's ^eporL' showed a small balance to the credit of the society, not counting the money bor rowed last year, and the return of v/hich was recommended in a spec ial message by Gov. Ansel, voted by the general assembly, but veotoed by Gov. Blease. The Audubon society feels content with results so far, and is ready for a campaign more active than ever waged before for the protection of the birds. The society now enters vpon the sixth year of its work. RICHESON FORMALLY INDICTED. Minister Will Bo Tried for Poisoning Girl. After he had been formally served at Boston with the Indictment charg ing him with poisoning his former sweetheart, Avis Linnell, the Rev. Clarence V. T. RIcheson was visited in the Charles, street jail late Wed nesday by Attorney John L. Lee, of Lynchburg, Va., a criminal lawyer prominent in the South, who proDa. bly will direct the accused minister's fight for acquittal. ?Mr. Lee arrived Wednesday hut he took up Immediately the work of pre paring the defence and conferred at length with former Judge James R. Dunbar, his son, Phillips R. Dunbar, and Congressmen Robert O'Harris, who have been retained in Mr. Rich eson's interest. Reports that the- family of Miss of the accused, had decided to dis continue financial support to the the minister's defence, were scouted by Attorney Dunbar, who was re tained by Moses Grant Edmands, fa ther of the young woman. Mr. Diin bar said: "Any statement that Mr. Edmands has ceased to have faith in Mr. Richeson is absolutely false. Mr. Edmands still retains absolute confidence In the integrity and in nocence of Mr. Richeson." CHOCKED BIG LINER'S PUMPS. Had to Come to a Full Stop Out in Mid Ocean. A remarkable experience on the voyage from London to Halifax was reported Friday by Captain Cham Ik.'f, of the Furness liner Durango, While in mid-ocean the big liner came to a full stop, the circulating pumps failed to work and for a time the crew were unable to account for the trouble. When the interior of the circulating feed pipe was examined it was found to be chocked with a mass nf fish. After the fish were re moved the Durango proceeded at her usual speed. The vessel has passed through a school of fish ai<d many of them were drawn into the feed pipe by the suction of the pumps. The fish taken from the passage were long and thin and of a kind unknown to Captain Chambers. Ten Rioters Killed. Ten election rioters were killed at San Pedro Soula, Honduras, Sunday in a clash with government troops, according to Information brought to Mobile by Capt. Wallas, of the Nor wegian steamer Strangnella. < IBER, 4, 1911. TAIKJTJVER ? Farnwrs Consider Plan ti Relieve tbe Cottea Harket Sitnatico MUCH INTEREST SHOWN Committees From StAte Farmers's Union Will Consider Cotton Hold ing Facilities To Publish Names of Oofcito* for Higher Price. Those Who Give Pledge to Hold "Farmers' Union Day" was opened Thursday morning by ?. meeting of the executive (committee of the State union in the office of the State secre tary, Mr. J. Whitner Reid, in the Hook building, at 9 o'clock. A meet ing of the warehouse committee will be held Thursday evening in the of fice of the secretary at 7 o'clock, and the day will be climaxed by the gen eral open meeting of the union Thursday evening at 8 o'clock in the Rlchland county court house, on Washington street. All the members of the committee were present at the meeting Thurs day morning, which opened about 9 o'clock. President E. W. Dabbs of Sumter Is a member ex officio, as also if Mr. Reid, the secretary. The oth er members rre Messrs. H. T. Morri son McClellanville, Douglass Mcln tyre of Marion and A. D. Hudson of Newberry. It was stated at the con clusion of the meeting that only rou tine matters had been transacted, and that nothing of especial interest to the general public had taken place. A meeting.of the warehouse com mittee was to have been held Thurs til the evening. This commltte is composed of seven members, from the different congressional districts of the State and has a supervision over the Farmers' Union Warehouse Com pany of South Carolina, recently com missioned by the secretary of state with a present cacital of $200.000. Stock subscriptions are being solicit ed for this scheme for cotton storage, from members of the union through out the State, the first installment of which, 30 per cent, is due on Decem ber 1. , The committee will look into the situation generally to find what pro gress has been made, and what fur ther steps are to-be taken, etc. The members are, in the order of their districts: Messrs. H. T. Morrison, Mc Clellanville, chairman; Alfred Aid rich, Barnwel); B. Harris, Pendleton; B. F. Keller, Spartanburg; J. B. O' Neal Hallo way, Newberry; W. H. Cur ry, Rhems, and W. A. Stuckey, Bish op ville. .The meeting Thursday night was well attended and there were a num ber of interesting plans proposed to help the farmers in their fight to se cure a fair price for cotton. Dr. Wade Stackhouse of Dillon read his plan for relieving the situation. The plan was immediately adopted, but after disc ssion a number of features of the plan elsewhere in this paper. One plan submitted to the conference was to organize the landlords'and thereby keep the price of cotton up. Mr. Clinkscales proposed that pledgeB be secured frm the cotton growers In the various counties of the State to hold their cotton and that the acreage be reduced. He pro posed to have a report of the names of those who promised to hold cotton made daily in the papers of the State. He was of the opinion that if the farmers will stick together the situ ation will be much better within ten days. Mr. Clinkscales was very en thusiastic and urged more confidence am ng the planters. In submiMi- - Ms plan Dr. Stack house salt he had seen the sugges tion thai ^n'- farmer be asked to sign an affidavit that if 75 percent, of the farmers agreed to reduce 25 per cent, that his pledge would be come binding. This would put a pre mium on lying and surely none of us would like to see such a strain put on our farmers next year. The con tract plan is the only solution I can &ee. Of course the contracts could be drawn so they would not be binding unless a given per cent, of farmers signed up "But some one croaks that your plan is as weak as the plan of the mice when they agreed to bell the cat. "I will say the American Federa tion of Labor is a gigantic organiza tion: but who quesitons they have great power. They contend for \ 1 ?w cents to be added to a day's .?ork. Southernmen producing cotton snre ly have a^. good fighting qualities as organized labor in tbe North. While they are fighting for a fow thousand dollars in wages, we cotton farmers are fighting for the greater money prize on earth losing this year about $300,000,000 by our slothful neglect to organize. "The brickmasons of Naw York city meet and organize and agree that a certain price per day shall bei charged to lay brick. Some one that j does not want to join the union tries' to cut the price. They call him a 'scab,' and make it so uncomfortable that it is best to charge union prices or move on to some other country. "We will have some stabs among our farmers, but they will be an ex ception, and soon public sentiment will become so strong that if they don't join the procession they will be as cordially hated as was a deserter in the War Between the States." Dr. Stackhouse's plan is published in this issue if this paper. Read it. < TRIBUTE TO WOHN THE MONUMENT TO BE UNVEIL ED ON DECEMBER 14. Joseph W. Barnwell of Charleston Selected by Commission as Prin cipal Speikcr?Exercises at Noon. The commission having la charge the erection of a monument to the South Carolina women of the Con federacy meeting in Columbia Wed nesday decided upon December 14 a? the date for unveiling the monu ment. The exercises will begin at noon. The hronzes will arrive in Co lumbia during the latter part of November. Gen. C. Irvine Walker of Charles Ion, chairman of the commission, will open the ceremonies incideat to unveiling with an address. The principal speaker for the exercises will be Joseph W. Barnwell of Charleston. He will be introduced by Gen. Walker and during his ad dress the monument will be unveil ed. Following the address by Mr. Barnwell, Gen. Walker will turn the monument over to the Confed erate daughters and sons of South Carolina. A solid bronze railing will be placed around the base of the mon ument. This railing will be two feet high. The railing will have several panels of special design, including one of the Palmetto tree. The monument will be located on the south side of the State house. All detailed arrangements for the ceremonies were perfected by the commission Wednesday. It was de cided to erect a large ttage near the monument. On the stage will be seated only veterans and daughters of veterans. Each camp of veterans, sons and daughters, will be invited to send two representatives each to take places on the stage. The gener al officers of the United Confederate Veterans, aons and daughters will also be invited on the stage. The commission will endeavor to make arrangements with the rail roads of the State to run trains to bring' people from all sections of South Carolina to Columbia for the exorcises at noon. The members ofi the commission are Gen. C. Irvine Walker, Charles ton, chairman; Col. Thomas J. Moore, ISpartanburg; Col. C. A. Reed, Anderson; Capt. John G. Richards, Jr., Liberty Hill; Capt. Wm. E. Gonzales, Columbia. DEMOCRATIC VICTORY TUESDAY. Governor Dix Confident That, the Par ty Will Win Next Week. Predicting that the Lemocrats will win a decided victory at the polls next Tuesday, Governor Dix, of New York, in a statement Wednesday ap peals to Democrats to support all the Democratic nominees as "Demo crat success now means continued progress, efficiency and honesty in the administration." His statement follows: "The splendid record made by the Democrat House of Representatives at Washington has won the confi dence of the country, while the Re publican party cannot escape respon sibility for the deplorable industrial and economic conditions under which the people of the Unted States are now suffering. Republican executive and administrative policy have pro duced the very general and deep un rest and dissatisfaction in business circles which have caused great hard ship among the people and generated an industrial and financial depression that has curtailed opportunities for employments and deprived the farm er, working man and business man alike of a adequate and just remun eration for his energy, toil and in vestments. "President Taft's veto of the triff bill proves that he is lined up with the extreme protectionists of his parly and that he s opposed to any revision of the traiff in the interest of producing and consuming classes of the country." BANDITS HOLDS UP TRAIN. They Fled When a Switch Engine Was In Sight. Pock Island passenger train No. 45 was held up and robbed Wednes day between Bridge Junction and Ilurlburt, Arkansas. According to latest advices the bandits escaped af ter wrecking the express car in an effort to blow open the safe with nitro-glycerine. It is said that sev eral registered packages of unknown value were obtained from the mail car. Six masked men beid up the train. The robbers boarded the train when it slowed down near Ilurlburt, 1 1 miles from Memphis, intiminated the engineer with weapon display forcing him to back his train for sev eial miles. The express and mail cars were detached and hauled ahead short dis tances. The mail pouches were ran sacked and seven nitro-glycerine caps tired into the express car safe. In the midst of their- pillage the rob bers were frightened away when a switch engine searching for the over due train approached from Hurlburt. Five Prisoners Break Jail, u Trapping Jailer Lowe and pining his wife behind a heavy steel door, five prisoners made a quick escape from Glynn county ain at Brunswick, Ga., Wednesday afternoon, night not one of them had been caught. I TWO CENTS PER COPY. DID SHE DO IT Nine Deaths in Chicago Aroose Suspic ion ot Harder Most Fool -?- 1 WIDOW MAY BE CHARGED The Deaths Include Two of the Wo man's Masbands, Several of Her, Relatives and Intimate Acquaint ances, All of Whom Died Under Similar Circumstances. Chicago police Wednesday pur sued their investigations into the death of nearly half a scorn of rela tives and acquaintances of Mrs. Louise Vermilyia, to make certain; whether the similar demises consti tuted only a remarkable series of coincidences, as Mrs. Vermilyia as serts. Nine deaths are included in the list with which Mrs. Vermilyia^ name has been connected, including two husbands, two stepchildren, three children and two ropmers at boarding houses she kept. Developments Wedhsday, follow ing the establishment of p?lic sur veillance at the woman's home, came from several cities where'-she had lived. Pending the report of the toxicologists who are examining the viscera of the last of ' those whose deaths have occurred beneath Mrs. Vermilyia'B roof, the police have made no arrests. No positive evidences of crime have been un covered. - < ' ? The following facts became known: That while Mrs. VermiPiyla has said one of the deaths roster, Rich ard T. Smith, a conductor, was on ly a boarder at her home, a former roomer asserts the two claimed previously to have been married, and that they lived together as man and wife. That while the woman told the police that she had assisted an un dertaker at Crystal Lake, a former, home, in embalming bodies, the un dertaker there denies that she ever had any such experience.' She gave this as a reason why she could dis cuss the deaths with composure. That R. N. Bruington, a photo grapher of Peoria, the brother-in law of conductor Smith had madelove to the widow following Smith's death,. so as to investigate suspicions he then had about the reason for his relative's death; that the widow; had told him part of her matrimon ial history, which he described to. give to the coroner. That Smith died during convul sions, and after drinking some sub stance, whether medicine or not J>e Ing unsettled, but that the doefcof? gave the cause of death from symp toms given by the widow as acute gastritis. That two conductors who had worked with Smith on the railroad told the coroner that Smith had told them he was living with Mrs. Vermilyia, though not married to her, and that he has been threaten ed with death by another suitor of the widow, an undertaker That Bissonette was really en- ? gaged to be married to Miss Lydia Rivard, of Kanakakee; this was shown by Che 'filing to-day of the polieeman's will, in which Miss Rivard was named as his fianeee. Mrs. Vermilpia was a witness to as certain whether the widow had shown jealousy of the policeman's intended wife. In a talk with the police of Peoria Bruington said Mrs. Vermilyia 'had periods of mental depression m which she waB fond of talking of death. He said: "She told me it seemed funny to her that nearly every one she knew and cared for died and asked me if I was afraid of death." A new coincidence developed to day following the sudden- illness of Mrs. Vermilyia herself when a sis ter, living in the house adjoining Mrs. Mary Bucholze, suddenly be came ill. Mrs. Vermilyia told inquiries to day she had never studied medicine nor sought to become a nurse as had been reported, but that she had some little knowledge of medicines that she had acquired to enable her to aid neighbors and relatives. She insisted she was innocent. The deaths being looked in'to follow: Frederick Bringkamp, first hus band of Mrs. Vermilyia, died on a farm near Barrington, 111., after a brief illness. Charles Vermilyia, second hus band, died arter six days' illness of "gastritis" at Maple Wood, 111. Florence Bringkamp, four years old daughter, died at Harrington. Cora Uringkamp, eight years old daughter, died at Harrington. LiUina Bringkamp, a stepdaught er, 20 years old. Frank Bringkamp, son, dird of pneumonia in Chicago. Richard T. Smith, reported to be third husbad. Arthur Uissonette, policeman, roomer, to whom she was engaged died of "gastritis" last Thursday. It was the suddeness of Hisson ette's death, coupled with the wid ow's statement that he was addicted to drink, whereas members of the police force had known him as aa abstainer, that prompted the inves tigation. Prof. Walter Haines, prison ex pert, expects to report by Friday. The coroner's jury to-day left for Barrington, 111., a suburb, Mrs. Vermilyla's former home, to Inves tigate the deaths that had occurred there. j